“The Truth She Hide. The Woman Behind the Kai Paternity Test” Amber & Wayne found the truth đ± FULL STORY BELOWđđ»
“The Truth She Hide. The Woman Behind the Kai Paternity Test” Amber & Wayne found the truth đ±
Setting: The living room. It’s late at night. The results of the paternity test just arrived in an envelope. Tension is thick in the air. Wayne stands by the window, arms crossed, while Amber sits on the couch, nervously twisting her fingers.
Wayne:
(turns slowly)
Amber⊠I got the results. Theyâre right here.
Amber:
(voice trembling)
I know.
Wayne:
Before I open this⊠is there anythingâanythingâyou want to tell me?
Amber:
Wayne, please⊠whateverâs in there, just know I never meant to hurt you.
Wayne:
Thatâs not an answer.
Amber:
(quietly)
He might not be yours.
Wayne:
(takes a step back)
What?
Amber:
I was scared. I didnât know what to do. When I found out I was pregnant⊠you and I were on a break. I didnât think weâd get back together.
Wayne:
Amber⊠we were apart for two weeks. Thatâs it. And you said Kai was mine.
Amber:
I thought he was. I hoped he was. Youâve been there from day one. Youâve raised him like your own.
Wayne:
Because I thought he was mine. I put his name on the birth certificate. I gave him my last name.
Amber:
I didnât want to lose you. You were finally stepping up, being responsible, and I thought⊠maybe it didnât matter.
Wayne:
Didnât matter? You donât lie about something like this. You donât hide something like this.
(He slams the envelope down on the table but doesnât open it yet.)
Amber:
Please, Wayne. No matter what that paper says, youâre his father in every way that counts.
Wayne:
In every way except biology. Which you let me believe was true for four years.
(Silence.)
Wayne:
So whoâs the other guy?
Amber:
It was a mistake. One night. His nameâs Marcus. I havenât seen him since. I didnât even know how to reach him.
Wayne:
You lied to me every time I asked. Every. Time.
Amber:
Because I was afraid. You were finally happy. We were building something. I couldnât throw that away.
Wayne:
I had a right to know. Iâve missed job opportunities. Iâve stayed in this town. I gave up everything for a son that might not even be mine.
(He finally rips open the envelope and pulls out the results. A long pause as he reads.)
Wayne:
“Probability of paternity: 0%.”
(He stares at the paper, expression hardening.)
Amber:
Wayne⊠please.
Wayne:
You couldâve told me. You shouldâve told me.
Amber:
I wanted to protect you. Protect him.
Wayne:
No. You wanted to protect your lie. And now itâs all crumbling down. What happens when Kai starts asking questions? What do I say? “Your mom lied to both of us”?
Amber:
Heâs still your son in every way that matters. He loves you, Wayne. You love him.
Wayne:
Yeah, I do. But I donât even know who I am anymore. You took that choice from me.
(Silence again. Amber starts crying softly.)
Amber:
So what now?
Wayne:
I donât know. I need time. I need space to think.
Amber:
Please donât walk out on him. Donât punish him for my mistake.
Wayne:
Iâm not walking out on him. Iâm walking away from the lie. I donât know whatâs next⊠but you donât get to decide the truth anymore. I do.
Wayne walks toward the door. He pauses, looking back at the home they built, at Amber crying on the couch, and a picture of Kai on the wall. Then he steps outside, quietly closing the door behind him.
SCENE: âThe Truth She Hidâ â PART 2
Title: âWhat Else Are You Not Telling Me?â
The night is quiet. Too quiet. Wayne hasnât left yet. Heâs still holding the paternity results, unread. The air feels like itâs about to break.
Wayne:
(Low voice, almost whispering)
I havenât opened it yet. I wanted to give you one last chance, Amber.
Amber:
I already told you. I⊠I made a mistake. Thatâs it.
Wayne:
A mistake? Nah. A mistake is forgetting to set an alarm. Thisâ
(He holds up the envelope.)
âthis feels like a plan.
Amber:
What are you saying?
Wayne:
Iâm saying⊠this doesnât feel like the only thing youâve been hiding.
(Amber looks away. Her body tenses.)
Wayne:
See? That look right there. That pause. Thatâs not fear, Amber. Thatâs guilt.
Amber:
Wayne, Iâ
Wayne:
Was Marcus the only one?
(She freezes.)
Wayne (quiet but sharp):
Amber.
Amber:
…There was someone else. Before Marcus.
Wayne:
Are you serious?
Amber (rushed):
It was before we were even together. We werenât serious yet. I didnât even think it mattered untilâ
Wayne:
Until what?
Amber:
Until I found out I was pregnant⊠and I realized I wasnât 100% sure who the father was.
(Silence. A clock ticks loudly in the background.)
Wayne:
So you guessed. You looked me in the eyes and you picked the man who would stay. The one who wouldnât ask too many questions.
Amber:
Because you were safe, Wayne! You loved me. You still do.
Wayne (coldly):
Did you ever think about what this would do to Kai?
(He starts to open the envelope.)
Amber:
Wayne, waitâplease.
Wayne (ignoring her):
You said Marcus was the father. But now youâre telling me thereâs someone else it could be.
Amber (panicking):
No. NoâWayne, listen to me. It doesnât matter what the test says. Youâre the only dad heâs ever known.
Wayne:
You mean the only man you let believe he was the dad.
(He unfolds the paper slowly. His hands are shaking.)
Wayne (reading):
Paternity results for: Wayne Ellis.
Probability of paternity: 0%.
(He laughs. But itâs the kind of laugh that hurts.)
Wayne:
I knew it. I knew it the moment he asked why he doesnât have my eyes.
Amber (whispers):
He still asks about you when youâre gone. He tells people you’re his hero.
Wayne (snaps):
Donât you dare use him to protect yourself right now.
(He stares at Amber, then lowers his voice.)
Wayne:
What if I told you⊠I already knew?
Amber:
What�
Wayne:
Three months ago. I ran into Marcus. You said you didnât know where he was? He was at the same bar Iâve been going to since college.
Amber (frozen):
Wayne, I can explainâ
Wayne:
He showed me a picture of Kai. Said, âHeâs got my nose, doesnât he?â He wasnât even trying to hide it. He knew.
Amber (quietly):
Then why didnât you say anything?
Wayne:
Because I wanted to hear it from you. I wanted to know if youâd keep lying even when the truth was standing right in front of you.
(Amber collapses onto the couch, shaking.)
Amber:
I didnât know how to fix it. I thought if I pretended long enough, it would just⊠become real.
Wayne:
You canât fake trust, Amber. And now, I donât know if Iâll ever be able to believe anything you say again.
(Silence.)
Wayne:
Iâm not just walking out that door. Iâm walking out of the story you wrote for me.
[SCENE END]
